The Cuming County Sheriff's Office identified another man killed at the time of the storm. David A. Herout, 74, of Clarkson, was ejected from a vehicle after it left the roadway on a county road about 2.5 miles east of Pilger around 4:50 p.m.

Unger said 75 percent of the town was destroyed, describing extensive damage to homes, city hall, the fire department and the middle school.

The town of about 350 people is about 100 miles northwest of Omaha.

Van DeWald, lead meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Valley, says the first tornado, which appears to be an EF3, is believed to have touched down in rural Stanton County, southwest of the town of Stanton, with wind speeds of 136 to 165 mph.

DeWald says the second and third tornadoes landed to the southwest of Pilger and traveled together, about a mile apart. The northern tornado, which appears to be an EF4, struck Pilger and the two twisters then merged.

DeWald says a fourth tornado appears to have developed northeast of Pilger.

"It was terribly wide. I had to get out of there. I drove east. I could see how bad it was. I had to get out of there,” said Marianne Pesotta.

Unger said there was about 10 to 15 minutes from the time the sirens were activated until the first tornado touched down.

"There's a lot of very lucky people. This could have been multiple fatalities. The destruction would indicate there should have been multiple fatalities here," Unger said, crediting the warnings with saving lives.

Trey Wisniewski says he woke up when the weather radio went off. When the power went out and storm sirens wailed, he and his wife scurried to the basement with their pets. The storm ripped up their house around them and left them in the basement dodging flying objects. Wisniewski says "it was raining debris."

The Wisniewskis say they're not sure yet if they will rebuild.

Sanford Goshorn, Stanton County emergency manager, said the destruction in Pilger is severe.

“They talk about war zones, yes, this looks like a war zone. This looks like a war zone in Pilger. There's no doubt about it, and I've been through two of them, so I know what they look like,” he said.

Officials expect the number of those injured to rise after people's adrenaline wears off.

"The response is massive, unbelievable. You would not believe the amount of equipment we have lined up along the highway. There's so much equipment, we can't get it all into Pilger,” Goshorn said.

Authorities have set up an emergency shelter for residents who lost their homes after the tornadoes. Wisner-Pilger Public Schools Superintendent Chad Boyer said about a dozen people had arrived at the shelter Monday night, and officials were expecting more. Boyer says the shelter at Wisner-Pilger High School will remain open as long as needed to provide food, water, showers and cots.

Two crews from the National Weather Service were out reviewing the area to try to measure each tornado's strength.

(nat of david dinklage: "ohhh boy.two tornadoes") THE david dinklage: "that's gonna kill some cows") áTWIN TWISTERS KILL TWO PEOPLE.. INCLUDING A LITTLE GIRL. AND HURT MANY OTHERS.(Sheriff Mike Unger/Stanton County, NE: "I got to see something today I wish I never would have seen.") FROM THE SKY.. WE SEE THE PATH OF DESTRUCTION. ON THE GROUND..WE HEAR THE STORIES OF SURVIVAL.(Marilyn Andersen/Tornado Survivor: "We went to the basement and all three of us cuddled down in the little cubby and covered up with a blanket.") MUCH OF THE DEBRIS IS UNRECOGNIZABLE. SOME - PICKED UP - AND TRACKED ON RADAR - 17-THOUSAND FEET UP. (Larry Nelson/Lost home in tornado: "Over there was living room.") ALL OF IT - NOW LITTERING A TOWN - THAT'S LOST SO MUCH. GOOD EVENING, I'M ROB MCCARTNEY. AND I'M MELISSA FRY - IN FOR BRANDI PETERSEN. FOR THE FIRST TIME IN A DECADE, TORNADOES HAVE CLAIMED LIVES IN NEBRASKA. THE VICTIMS OF MONDAY'S STORMS: SHE WAS IN A MOBILE HOME WHEN THE STORM HIT. DAVID HEROUT DIED - WHEN A TORNADO THREW HIS CAR OFF THE ROAD. TEAM COVERAGE OF THE BIG STORY AT SIX STARTS IN PILGER WITH K-E-T-V NEWSWATCH SEVEN'S WHERE WE'RE STANDING YOU CAN REALLY SEE HOW TORNADOS CARVED A PATH ..RIGHT THROUGH THE MIDDLE OF PILGER. DAMAGE THAT TAKES YOUR BREATH AWAY..BUT EVEN MORE AMAZING, THE STORIES PEOPLE WHO TELL ME THE ODDS WERE AGAINST THEM..SOME EVEN REUNITING.. EVERWHERE YOU LOOK, THERE'S DEVASTATION..WITH BARK, STRIPPED FROM TREES..AND HOMES ONCE FULL OF MEMORIES..NOW, FULL OF DEBRIS.CLIP 4622 Brandon Eckert, Lifelong Resident 53;36 It's terrible, (02)BRANDON ECKERT HAS LIVED IN PILGER FOR ALL 24-YEARS-OLD HIS LIFE.BUT NEVER DID HE Brandon Eckert 58;14 It was moving slow when it come across the river -- but it was unreal, hopping and dancing around.(06)TORNADO NATS "SIRENS" AND THIS CELL-PHONE VIDEO SHOT JUST OUT-SIDE WISNER..SHOWS WHAT PILGER WAS UP AGAINST MONDAY.TWO TORNADOS..DRAGGING PATHS OF DESTRUCTION ACROSS FARM-LAND.. ACROSS BUSINESSES AND HOUSES. CLIP 6684, Becky Hauf, Home Destroyed 01;34 It's just.. My whole life is gone.(03) EVERYTHING - EXCEPT A WHEEL- BELONGINGS..AND HER DOG, "festus" ..PULLED FROM RUBBLE BY áTHIS MAN..áHOURS AFTER STORMS BLEW THROUGH.BECKY SAYS - SHE WAS AT WORK WHEN THESE TORNADOS HIT..AND COULDN'T GET HOME IN TIME.CLIP 6684, Becky Hauf, Home Destroyed 01;44 There was about 20 of us in the store between the beer cooler and the milk cooler and that literally saved our lives. (06)LIVES SAVED - BUT STILL, SOME RESIDENTS HOPE - AND áWONDER - IF THE TOWN CAN BE SAVED, TOO.CLIP 4622 Brandon Eckert 55;52 There's nothing here anymore.. now, but we'll see.(04) AND WE SHOWED YOU ALL DAY SO MANY STRUCTURES THAT JUST CRUMBLED.. BUT THE ONES STILL STANDING DONT LOOK LIKE THEYLL LAST FOR LONG -- AGAIN WITH A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF THIS TOWN DAMAGED BEYOND REPAIR. ROB, MELISSA, BACK TO YOU. THE MOTHER OF CALI DIXON IS IN CRITICAL CONDITION RIGHT NOW. KANDI MURPHREE HAS HEAD TRAUMA, AND A BROKEN LEG HER FAMILY THIS EVENING TELLS US CALI'S FOUR-YEAR OLD SISTER ROBIN IS BEING TAKEN QUOTE, 'IT BREAKS OUR HEARTS THAT OUR FIVE YEAR OLD ANGEL CALI HAS LEFT US.' 'CALI'S DREAM WAS TO BE A DOCTOR AND HELP PEOPLE WHEN SHE GREW UP MAYBE GOD HAS A JOB FOR HER NOW." PEOPLE FROM ALL OVER ARE PLEDGING TO HELP PEOPLE IMPACTED BY THE STORMS. SEVEN CAN HELP AND THE ANSWERING áYOUR CALLS. IF YOU'D LIKE TO DONATE - CALL 402-522-7777. IF YOU GET A BUSY SIGNAL.. JUST KEEP TRYING. OR.. YOU CAN TEXT 'RED CROSS' TO 90-999 TO MA A 10- DOLLAR DONATION. THEY'LL BE HERE UNTIL SIX-30. THE DAMAGE IS IMPRESSIVE TO SEE..AND SO IS VIDEO OF THE STORM ACTUALLY HAPPENING. STORM CHASERS GET SO CLOSE.. TO SUCH MASSIVE TORNADOES. YOU CAN SEE IT'S SENDING DEBRIS - FLYING. TEARING APART HOMES.. SHEDS.. BARNS AND VEHICLES. ALL YOU CAN DO - FROM A DISTANCE.. IS WATCH.. AND HOPE EVERYONE IS OKAY. AND MORE AMAZING STORIES OF COURAGE AND SURVIVAL JUST A FEW MILES TO THE NORTHEAST NEAR STANTON. A COUPLE RUNNING A DAY CARE USE THEIR BODIES TO PROTECT FIVE SMALL KIDS. HERE'S KETV NEWSWATH SEVEN'S ANDREW OZAKI. ( Alex Lorimer: This is where they were able to get some of the kids out. ) ALEX LORIMER (LOHR AH MORE) SHOWS WHERE HIS STEP MOM AND DAD HUDDLED AS A MASSIVE TORNADO FLATTED THEIR HOME. JUST LOOKING AT IT IS TOO MUCH FOR HIS STEP SISTER.( Haley Wiggs: Never would have thought they would have lived through this. ) THE COUPLE HAD JUST GOTTEN MARRIED TWO WEEKS AGO. THEY WERE RUNNING A DAY CARE TO MAKE A LITTLE EXTRA MONEY. THERE WERE FOUR KIDS AND THEIR SON IN THE HOME WHEN THE TWISTER HIT.( Alex Lorimer: I was calling my dad and asked hey are you ok and he said not I'm not it's about to hit us. ) AS THEY WERE DOWN THERE THE FURNACE FELL O TOP OF THEM... AMY KREMLACEK ( KREM-LA-CHECK) USED HER BODY TO SHIELD THE KIDS. JEREMY MASKEL CAUGHT UP WITH HER MONDAY EVENING AS SHE WAS GETTING TREATED AT A HOSPTIAL laid on top of two of the littlest kids and everything fell on top of us. ) SHE INJURED BOTH HER ANKLES... THE HEAD BY A BRICK. BOTH ARE STILL IN THE HOSPITAL. THE KIDS ARE ALL HOME... WITH SOME SCRAPES AND BRUISES AND A BURN FROM THE FURNACE.( NAT LEGION OF FAMILY AND FRIENDS AND STRANGERS CAME TO HELP CLEAN UP AND SIFT THROUGH THE RUBBLE.( NAT SND: This is the purse she was looking for. ) THEIR PET BEARDED DRAGON. GROOM'S SHIRT STILL IN PERFECT CONDITION.( Jade Hetzler: Tears.Yeah I keep texting her thing we find ) THE FAMILY..THANKFUL FOR ALL THE HELP THEY ARE RECEIVING... THANKFUL THEY ARE STILL ABLE TO GIVE EVERYONE ANOTHER HUG.( Haley Wiggs: it's a miracle. God was definitely with our family. ) NEAR STANTON, ANDREW OZAKI KETV NEWSWATCH SEVEN. THE FAMILY DOESN'T KNOW WHAT THEY WILL DO. THEY WERE RENTING THE FARM STEAD. THEIR BRAND NEW SUV WAS TOTALLY DESTROYED. INCREDIBLE IMAGES - COMING FROM THE AREA. CAMERAS WERE ROLLING AS THE STORM TORE THROUGH - SHOWING IT'S PURE STRENGTH. MORE POWERFUL DAMAGING THESE TYPES OF STORMS PILGER HAVE BEEN SORTING THROUGH WHAT'S LEFT - ALL DAY. THEY'VE JUST BEEN FORCED OUT FOR THE NIGHT. KETV NEWSWATCH SEVEN'S JEREMY MASKEL IS LIVE. AND AS PEOPLE HERE IN PILGER TRYING TO SORT THROUGH THE BELONGINGS THAT ARE LEFT AFTER THE STORM THE NATIONAL GUARD IS SEALING THE TOWN TO MAKE SURE BELONGINGS STAY SAFE AS POSSIBLE AND PEOPLE STAY AS UNTIL CLEANUP CREWS BEGIN COMING IN TOMORROW MORNING AT 7 AM.WE KNOW THE MIDWEST BANK BRANCH HERE IN PILGER IS DAMAGED BEYOND REPAIR EMERGENCY MANAGERS TOLD US WITHIN THE LAST HOUR THAT THE BUILDING WILL COLLAPSE AT ANY MINUTE AND LESS CREWS KNOCK IT DOWN WHICH THEY PLAN TO.ONE BUSINESS THE STORM NOT MOSTLY DOWN WAS OSWALD FEED. ONE OF ITS OWNERS SAYS THEY WILL REBUILD AFTER SERVING THE COMMUNITY FOR THREE GENERATIONS.TUESDAY JESSICA OSWALD SPEND HOURS SEARCHING FOR MOMENTOS OF HER FATHER-IN- LAW THAT THEY KEPT IN THE STORE.( Jessica Oswald // Oswald Feed (An old radio that we kept to the am station that would deliver the markets.)) OSWALD AND OTHER BUSINESS OWNERS ARE HOPEFUL TO MAKE MORE PROGRESS ONCE THEY CAN BRING EQUIPMENT IN TOMORROW. AGAIN THIS VILLAGE WILL BE SEALED OFF BY THE NATIONAL GUARD TONIGHT CLEANUP CREWS BEGIN COMING IN TOMORROW MORNING AT 7 AM. THEIR MEETING AT WISNER PILGER HIGH SCHOOL AND WAS GOING TO LIVE JEREMY MASKEL KETV NEWSWATCH 7. PILGER'S MOTTO.."A TOWN TOO TOUGH TO DIE" - IS PROVING THEY'LL STAND UP TO THE CHALLENGES BEFORE THEM.(Nats machinery) LESS THAN 24- HOURS AFTER TORNADOES TOUCH DOWN..THIS SMALL COMMUNITY IS ALREADY WORKING TOWARD REBUILDING. MANY HERE CREDIT EARLY WARNINGS FOR STILL PLENTY OF LOSS. THE HOME OF PILGER'S COMMUNITY LEADER IS DESTROYED. JAMES DUNCAN TOOK COVER IN A BASEMENT WITH HIS FAMILY. (JAMES DUNCAN: my sister had a cracked shoulder. my nephew a cut in the head but somebody was on our side because all three of us can walk out HE DOES NOT HAVE INSURANCE.. BUT PLANS TO REBUILD SOMEHOW. THE DAMAGE IS SO EXTENSIVE.. GOVERNOR HEINEMAN HAS DECLARED A STATE OF WERE WITH THE GOVERNOR AS HE SAW THE MESS - FIRST HAND. YOU PILGER FROM ABOVE. K-E-T-V NEWSWATCH SEVEN METEOROLOGIST MATT SERWE TRAVELS THE PATH OF THE KILLER STORM. FROM SOUTHWEST-- TO NORTHEAST... THE TORNADO CUT A CLEAR AND DEVASTATING PATH THROUGH THE HEART OF PILGER, NEBRASKA. IT SMASHED THROUGH MAIN STREET-- AND RIPPED THROUGH THE FARMER'S CO-OP GRAIN COMPLEX. JUST ONE OF THE 18-GRAIN BINS SURVVIVED THE FEROCIOUS WINDS-- AND JUST BARELY. PILOT KIM WOLFE TAKES US FURTHER EAST .. FROM THE 'MIDWEST MEDICAL TRANSPORT HELICOPTER' WE CAN SEE THE HEAVY DAMAGE TO THE PILGER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL-- THE ROOF: GONE AND AS WE CIRCLE-- DAMAGED-- OR DESTOYED. IN SOME CASES, THERE'S SIMPLY NOTHING STANDING ANYMORE. THEIR FOUNDATIONS THERE WERE THREE TORNADOES THAT PLOWED ACROSS STANTON COUNTY OUTSIDE OF PILGER-- YOU CAN SEE WHERE THEY FIRST TOUCHED GROUND.. THE TORNADO CARVED A HOLE THROUGH THE ROW OF TREES-- FLATTENING THEM AS IT MOVED TOWARD TOWN. FARM BUILDINGS..AND HOMES IN THE PATH-- ALSO DESTROYED BY WINDS UP TO 2-HUNDRED MILES PER HOUR (IT WENT RIGHT THROUGH MAIN STREET) A DIRECT HIT ON THE TINY TOWN-- PILGER, NEBRASKA, NOW FACING A MOMUMENTAL EFFORT TO RECOVER. MATT SERWE, K-E-T-V NEWSWATCH SEVEN OUR THANKS TO MIDWEST MEDICAL TRANSPORT FOR ACCESS TO THE HELICOPTER THE PILGER LAST NIGHT AFTER THE STORM HIT. AND ON THE GROUND-- ANOTHER VIEW OF THE DEVA ATION. THIS IS MAIN STREET-- LOOKING SOUTH-- AS IT APPEARS ON THE STREET VIWE OF GOOGLE EARTH BUT THIS IS THAT'S THE DAMAGED FIRE HOUSE ON THE LEFT. AND JUST DOWN THE STREET-- THIS MOBILE HOME HAD A TRUCKING FIRM SIGN ON IT BEFORE MONDAY'S TORNADO. THE IMAGE TODAY FINDS NOTHING LEFT AT THE INTERSECTION-- AND HORIZON. YOU CAN CHECK ON LINE RIGHT NOW ON K-E-T-V

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